plz solution

[craggy timber]

Hello there @terse pulsar!

Thanks for posting here in tech support. Obviously this is a thing we are upset by; it’s never fun to not be able to play…

First fix would be to do this:
** The fix:

The issue comes down to your ISP, trying a different network, hotspot or VPN fixes it**

If this persists let me know. I’ll continue investigating either way.

[terse pulsar]

Okay, I'll try it and I'll keep you posted.

[terse pulsar]

same problem

[craggy timber]

Still investigating, will get back to you ASAP.

[terse pulsar]

ok thinks ......

[terse pulsar]

Which Steam server do I need to connect to for it to work?

[craggy timber]

So after investigating, you do not need to switch Steam servers. The game thinks you aren’t logged in, which means that this is an authentication error.

Please follow the solutions below; follow each number. If they do not work, move on to the next.

1: Click Steam (top left) → Exit
Open Task Manager → kill any remaining Steam processes
Relaunch Steam
Make sure you're actually logged in (check friends list loads)

2: Go to Steam → Change Account → Log out
Log back in manually
This refreshes your authentication token (very common fix for this exact error).

3: Right-click Steam → Run as administrator

4: VPN
Custom DNS
Network firewall
→ turn them off temporarily. These can cause the AuthCallback timeout.

5: Right-click Holdfast in library
Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity

Reach out if none of these work.

[terse pulsar]

thinks

It's not working, I'm going to find another account to play.

[craggy timber]

All of it?

All 5?

[terse pulsar]

yes

[craggy timber]

Ok, in this case can you provide me your AGS ID?

And then I’ll get my colleague in here too

@velvet mulch

[terse pulsar]

What is AGS?

[craggy timber]

Anvil Game Studios. The makers of Holdfast

[terse pulsar]

ok thinks

Thank you, you're an angel.

[craggy timber]

We will need your ID. It should look like a set of numbers. Should be 16 numbers/letters.

[craggy timber]

Why thank you ❤️

[terse pulsar]

where can I find it

[terse pulsar]

for helping me

[craggy timber]

Coincidentally it is ingame…
Should be in barracks and “edit profile”

[terse pulsar]

ok

[terse pulsar]

When I log on I'll send you this

[craggy timber]

Lovely

Wait I got something

Try this to find your ID but not going ingame;

Go to your Player.log file

Press Win + R, paste %localappdata%low\Anvil Game Studio\Holdfast NaW, and press Enter.
File: Open Player.log (or Player-prev.log) with a text editor like Notepad.
Find ID: Search for "AGS ID" or "Player ID". It is typically a unique numeric string linked to your profile.

[terse pulsar]

I searched but couldn't find either the player ID or the AGS ID.

[craggy timber]

Did you follow the steps up here?

[velvet mulch]

https://holdfastgame.com/finding-ags-id

[terse pulsar]

AH OK

JUSTE MINUTE

[craggy timber]

Yup

Take your time, just get the ID ASAP

[terse pulsar]

OK

[terse pulsar]

hi

who this probleme

[craggy timber]

@manic pebble @velvet mulch Sorry for pinging but this is far out of my area of expertise…

[terse pulsar]

ok thinks

[velvet mulch]

👍🏻 I'll take a look.

[echo robin]

@craggy timber Hi there, thanks for bringing me into this thread, and sorry for the ping! Does anyone actually have a fix yet? It seems like quite a few people are running into the same issue at once, so I'm wondering if it's a broader problem with the latest update or the servers.

[craggy timber]

So this issue has always been a thing for years and sadly there really isn’t a permanent solution.

It was a thing prior to the updates.

[echo robin]

Oh, right. Do you think I should just go ahead and refund the game then? I’d rather not, but if it’s this broken for everyone, I’m wondering if it’s even worth the hassle of waiting for a fix.

[craggy timber]

Just scroll to the top of the ticket to find the first few solutions and try those out. If you suffer the same issue like our client here follow along.

[craggy timber]

It’s not broken for everyone. I wouldn’t refund. This usually happens once and then doesn’t usually happen after. Once this gets fixed you shouldn’t have this issue for a while.

[echo robin]

Cheers, thanks for that. I think I'll give those solutions a go and see if they actually work or not. Hopefully, it clears things up, but if not, I'll have to reconsider the refund 🤷‍♂️

[craggy timber]

I understand if you have to refund but hopefully the solutions above work out.

[velvet mulch]

Hello @terse pulsar

The core issue isn't actually your Steam account or your internet connection—it's that "Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library" error in your second screenshot. Holdfast uses these C++ files to talk to Steam. Right now, those files are crashing in the background, which cuts the communication line and causes the game to think you aren't logged into Steam (hence the timeout error).

Let's get this repaired so you can get back to the frontlines:

Step 1: Repair your C++ Libraries

1. Search online for the official Microsoft page: "Latest supported Visual C++ Redistributable downloads".
2. Download both the x64 and x86 architecture versions.
3. Run both files. If prompted, click Repair (or Install if they are missing).
4. Restart your PC—this is mandatory to apply the fix!

Step 2: Windows System Scan

1. Click your Windows Start menu, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator.
2. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Let it reach 100%. This will fix any broken Windows background files causing that nasty crash.

Step 3: Check for Conflicts
If you use Citrix Workspace for work, or have audio suites like ASUS Sonic Studio or Nahimic, please disable them temporarily, as they are known to cause this exact C++ runtime crash with our game engine.

Give those a go and try launching the game again. Let me know how you get on.

[echo robin]

Do you have any specific recommendations for a VPN? I actually have Cloudflare already, but I’m not sure if that’s enough.

[craggy timber]

I don’t really have many recommendations for a VPN. Usually I would just try and switch internet or turn off your VPN (if you are in Russia keep that on) to get the simple fix

[velvet mulch]

Hello @echo robin

Your game isn't broken; it is simply failing to get its marching orders from Steam. The error logs at the bottom of your screen (Steam UserLoggedOn: False and AuthCallbackTimedOut: True) tell me that Holdfast is asking Steam for your "ticket" to play, but Steam is ignoring the request or timing out. This is a very common desync, especially if you have network routing tools running.

Since you mentioned having Cloudflare, that might be interfering with Steam's background connection. Let's try and clear the lines of communication with these steps:

1. Fully Exit Steam: Do not just click the 'X' in the corner. Go to the top left of your Steam window, click "Steam", and then select "Exit" (or right-click the Steam icon in your Windows system tray and exit from there).
2. Disable Cloudflare: Temporarily turn off your Cloudflare WARP or any other VPN you have active. Steam often gets confused when its background authentication traffic is suddenly rerouted.
3. Relaunch and Reconnect: Boot Steam back up and make sure it is fully online (not in Offline Mode).
4. Launch Holdfast: Try launching the game again.

Usually, a clean restart of Steam without a VPN in the middle is all it takes to regenerate a fresh session ticket. Give that a volley and let me know if you are able to get onto the game.

[echo robin]

I was going to say that I logged out and made sure the Steam client and all its processes were completely closed in Task Manager. I also tried running it with my VPN on, but unfortunately, the game still won't launch. Just thought I’d let you know, I’m going to try your solution though.

[echo robin]

I’ve given that a go, but no luck, I’m afraid. Just to clarify, do I actually need to log out of Steam entirely and then log back into my account?

[velvet mulch]

Please follow these advanced steps to the letter:

1. The True Log Out: Open Steam, click your profile name in the top right corner, and explicitly click "Sign out of account".
2. Clear the Cache: Open your file explorer and navigate to your Steam folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\). Find the folder named appcache and delete it. This clears out the old API data Holdfast relies on.
3. Flush the Network (Command Line): Let's clear out any lingering Cloudflare routing rules. Click your Windows Start button, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter. Then type netsh winsock reset and press Enter.
4. Reboot and Rally: Restart your PC completely. When you get back to your desktop, right-click Steam, select "Run as administrator", log back in, and launch Holdfast.

Give that heavy volley a try, Lad. That complete flush of your network and Steam credentials is the gold standard for breaking through this specific barricade.

Let me know if the issue persists.

[echo robin]

Right, I’m fresh out of ideas and I’ve honestly no clue why this is happening. Unfortunately, I haven’t got much time to mess about with it anymore.

[velvet mulch]

@glossy gyro Any ideas boss?

[craggy timber]

It’s weekend, no? Doesn’t Ted not work weekends…?

[echo robin]

I’m quite curious, actually, have loads of people been dealing with this same thing, or is it just a handful of us?

[velvet mulch]

If our troubleshooting doesn't work it has to be escalated to AGS for deeper investigation, they'll still get the message.

[echo robin]

Look, guys, I’m really sorry to push, as I know this is a tricky one to fix, but I could really do with some help as soon as possible. It’s gone midnight here now, and I’m just about ready to hit the refund button 🤷‍♂️

[craggy timber]

It’s fine mate. Whatever is best for you.

[echo robin]

Thanks so much for the help, you two (@craggy timber + @velvet mulch ) you’ve both been amazing. I’d suggest bringing this to AGS so they can properly investigate it. Anyway, I really hope no one else has to deal with this mess. Sorry for the pings!

[glossy gyro]

Will get back to you soon

[craggy timber]

No problem mate. It’s why we have the job 🙂

[craggy timber]

W

[terse pulsar]

its my ags id

[craggy timber]

@velvet mulch We got the AGS ID

[craggy timber]

Hang on tight lad we’re getting more progress

Thanks for the ID.

[terse pulsar]

yes

thinks

[glossy gyro]

Hi mate can you confirm whether your connection is wired or wireless?

And where are you connecting from in the world/are you using a VPN?

[terse pulsar]

algeria no vpn

wireless

[glossy gyro]

This would mean that you connected right? You need to be able to connect to get into the barracks and get your AGS ID 😅

[terse pulsar]

i have connection

[craggy timber]

Lets go!

[terse pulsar]

I DONT HAT IGS ID

HAVE

[terse pulsar]

tjr mm probleme

very probleme

[craggy timber]

Oh dear